Breckenridge junior Kirsten Olling sprints to the finish line to win the Division 4 girls state final cross country race with a time of 17:59. (Mike Mulholland)

Brooklyn, Michigan -- Breckenridge’s Kirsten Olling claimed her third consecutive victory at the Division 4 girls cross country State Finals with a time of 17:59.6.

“My legs were a little sore because we were a little rushed today, but I thought that I did pretty well for the conditions,” Olling said. “I’ve never broken 18 minutes on this course before. I actually improved, so I’ll take it.”

Olling won last year in 18:02, and the year before in 18:09, showing steady improvement.

While she was satisfied with her result at the State Finals, Olling was disappointed in her season, which suffered largely due to an iron deficiency.

“I was really upset,” Olling said. “My best time this season was around 17:50, which is a big step down for me from my best time last year of 17:17. A lot of the coaches thought that I maybe had a problem with my iron-levels, but then they just decided I was just having some bad days. I was honestly worried I would lose my title.”

“(Kirsten) did very well today,” Breckenridge coach Royce Humm said. “She went in with the intention of breaking eighteen minutes, and she ran hard and did it. She was able to recognize her iron deficiency issue and managed to push through it accomplish her goal. She looks very good for next year, and some of the other girls are really stepping up, so we are only going to improve.”

Despite the fact that she led by a large margin for the majority of the race, Olling told her friends on the sidelines to encourage her to push herself.

“After a mile, I knew I was in the lead,” she said. “Even though I knew that, I told everyone to tell me that the other runners were right behind me so I would go faster. During races, I get so psyched out. A lot of it is mental; if I have someone with me, I run so much faster. If I don’t have anyone around me, I feel like I’m out there running alone while everyone else races. I push myself, but it’s harder to push myself out of my comfort zone when I’m out there alone.”

Olling sprinted the last stretch in an attempt to beat the girls Division 4 record of 17:54, a time which she narrowly missed.

“Some days, I just get into the zone and I don’t see anything but the finish line,” Olling said. “I just see the posts in a circle and blackness around it; that’s when I get my best kick.”

Olling is optimistic for the future and plans to return and improve for next year.

“Hopefully I have good track season so I can get my times up again,” she said. “I want to break the 10:30 zone in my two mile run, because that’s what I ran this year.”

Breckenridge took 10th overall with a score of 265.

Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary took 25th and was led by Katelyn Perry (21:14.9) and Jessica Rigg (22:24.8).

Division 3

Caro’s girls cross country team took third and was led by Monica Ellicott (18:56.9), Abby Thorp (19:29.2), and Andrea Messing (20:08.6).

Shepherd’s Kaylie Rhynard led her team with a time of 18:25.9, a career PR. Teammate Taylor Thrush followed in 19:01.6.

Shepherd coach Carey Hammel was pleased with his team’s finish, and spoke favorably of the performances of Rhynard and Thrush.

“We ran really well today,” Hammel said. “We had four of our seven runners run personal best times, and it was a really good day. We thought that we would be in the top ten, and there were a lot of teams that ran very well, so it was pretty awesome to meet our goal. Kaylie had a good season, and she ran a perfect race today, in terms of strategy; she worked her way up throughout the race. Taylor also had a very good day as well. We are building our program, and we hope to keep building.”

Clare took 12th and was led by Victoria Harper (19:04.7) and Lindsay Winter (19:36.1).

Essexville-Garber took 19th as a team, and Julia Jeczmionka took sixth overall in 18:24.8.

“I was really happy, I was hoping to get in top 10,” Jeczmionka said. “I was a little intimidated, so I just tried to not get so worked up and nervous. I just had to run like I usually do. Our transition from Division 2 to Division 3 was a little different, but it’s hard to compare, since I’ve cut over two minutes from my time. Last year, I was towards the middle of the race; this year, I just worked a lot harder in the off-season. I was definitely happy with how we did as a team, and I am excited for next year; I’m going to work harder, and I’m hoping to do even better.”

Essexville-Garber coach Mark Knapp was pleased with his team’s performance.

“We didn’t know what to expect in terms of team placement,” Knapp said. “I was happy with the way that we did. Julia ran a great race; she had a pretty good showing. It wasn’t a PR, but she has been faster every race. I’m very happy with the improvement of the team; they worked so hard, and they are such a great group. We’re really going to miss seniors, but they are happy with the way that the year went.”

St. Louis’ Raquel Serna took second individually in 17:59.8

Allison Dorr led Birch Run in 18:56.8 for a 16th place finish.

Division 2

Mt. Pleasant’s Ashley Montgomery took 14th individually in 18:24.2.

Amanda Valliere led Midland Bullock Creek in 18:49.6.

Division 1

Midland Dow took 17th overall and was led by Kallie Dent (18:38.6) and Jordan Storer (18:57.8).